Education Zone

Canadians spend all winter – and much of spring – longing for summer; weekends at the cottage, impromptu road trips and days spent in the great outdoors. And now that summer is on the horizon and Canadians are spending more and more time outside, Aviva Canada is reminding homeowners that thieves also take advantage of summer. Claims data from the insurer has found residential burglaries spike in summer months with a 13 percent, 22 percent and 32 percent higher frequency in June, July and August respectively, than February, which shows the lowest occurrence of residential theft claims.

“Canadians just provide more opportunity for theft to occur in the warmer months,” said Wayne Ross, Vice President of National Property Claims at Aviva Canada in a release. “The longer residents spend away from their homes, without taking the proper precautions, the greater chance that thieves will strike.”

One of the key precautions is a monitored security system. An Aviva-led customer survey indicates that while some Canadians take precautions against theft, only 33% surveyed have a security system.Aviva insurance claims data also indicates that break-ins are more common at the start of the weekend, with Friday showing the greatest incidence at 25 percent higher than Sunday, the day with the lowest incidence of break-ins. The good news for Canadians is that burglaries overall are on the decline, with Aviva data showing an almost 50 percent decline in burglary claims between 2003 and 2011.

However, while the frequency of burglary is on the decline in Canada, the value of property being stolen is on the rise. Since 2003, the average dollar value of the articles stolen from burglaries has increased 51 per cent from $4,574 to $6,912 in 2011 – attributable to the popularity of easy-to-grab valuable items such as tablet and laptop computers, cell phones, video cameras and gaming consoles.Based on 2005 to 2011 Aviva Canada data, Quebec homeowners have the highest frequency of break-ins at almost two times that of the national average. At just over one third of the national average, the Atlantic Provinces have the lowest frequency of burglary claims.

“Intruders usually enter your home in one of three ways; the basement, forcing entry through a window or door, or simply opening an unlocked door or window,” said Ross. “With this in mind, homeowners can take simple precautions to prevent an intruder from entering their property.”

Aviva Canada suggests these precautions:

Consider upgrading the locking systems on your doors and windows. Ask yourself if you could easily force entry;

Ensure all windows and doors are locked when out of the home or overnight, and when moving into a new property have the locks changed;

Make a home look occupied when you’re away. Park a car in the driveway, leave some household lights and a radio on, ask a neighbour to collect mail and newspapers and mow your lawn;

Install a security device with a loud alarm or flashing lights. Some alarms contact authorities directly when they have been activated;

Do a home inventory with your video camera, it will take minutes, but will save you the stress and heartache of listing all of your possession. The Aviva customer survey also indicates only half of respondents have some form of home inventory.